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"... Australia should be aiming for “functional zero” rough sleeping, where public housing becomes available at the same rate people enter homelessness.

It costs us more in health costs, in policing costs, in emergency accommodation costs to continue to leave them sleeping rough than it does to provide them permanent supportive housing, and it’s just nuts that we don’t do it,” David Pearson, CEO, Australian Alliance to End Homelessness.

The Australian Alliance to End Homelessness (AAEH) has submitted a 7-point policy plan to the federal parliamentary Inquiry into Homelessness in Australia in efforts to urgently end rough sleeping homelessness across the country.

“We need urgent action from governments - homelessness is a policy choice. It can and should be solved by government policy,” said AAEH chair Karyn Walsh.

The Federal Government is being called on to help tackle Australia’s rough sleeping crisis, which could deliver savings of around $26 million.

A seven point policy plan to end rough sleeping in Australia would see savings to the federal government of $26 million - according to the Australian Alliance to End Homelessness (AAEH). The plan, from the AAEH, comes after around 5000 of Australia’s rough sleepers were sheltered in temporary accommodation across Australia due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In the days before the coronavirus shutdown took effect, a massive operation was underway in Australia's capital cities — to get more than 7,000 homeless people off the streets and into rooms in hotels, motels and empty student accommodation.

"It costs more in police call-outs, and having doctors and nurses treat people in emergency wards, than it does to provide people with a home. With the 1,000 clients that we have currently in emergency accommodation, we'd be saving $15 million a year," Launch Housing CEO Bevan Warner.

The Australian Alliance to End Homelessness (AAEH) has launched a 7-point policy plan to not just recover from COVID-19 but to ensure we can actually end rough sleeping homelessness across Australia.

AAEH’s COVID-19 National Rough Sleeping Homelessness Pandemic Response Plan calls for a health-informed approach to end to homelessness.

The Australian Alliance to End Homelessness (AAEH) has announced David Pearson as its inaugural CEO

The appointment was made possible by the Myer Innovation Fellowship, with David announced as one of the 2020 Fellows. “As a national network of service providers, we value the opportunity that the Sidney Myer Fund and The Myer Foundation is giving us. We’ve done a massive amount of work in recent years, and appointing David as our first CEO allows us to accelerate our efforts,” Karyn Walsh, AAEH Chair.

Representatives discussed practices and strategies that need to be implemented to end homelessness and rough sleeping in Australia. It is vital not to leave people behind as the recovery period starts and to have a 'vulnerable person and homelessness recovery plan' that looks at long term goals and ensures that the curve is flattened and stays flattened.

People experiencing homelessness around the country were housed in hotels and temporary housing at the peak of the pandemic.

Now the health risk has eased, service providers say governments need to find a long-term solution rather than turn people back out on the street.

ABC Radio National AM discussion featuring AAEH Board members Bevan Warner, CEO Launch Housing and Debra Zanella, CEO RUAH Community Services.

The Australian Alliance to End Homelessness is joining with Welcoming Australia and organisations from all over the world to demand the protection of people experiencing homelessness everywhere — refugees, migrants, and people who are ‘unhoused’. They must be protected to save lives and stop the spread of #COVID19.

The coronavirus pandemic provides an opportunity to get the nation’s rough sleepers off the street and into secure housing, social sector leaders say.

During an online forum to discuss rough sleeping responses to the crisis, homelessness groups spoke of the importance of long-term support for vulnerable people.